Abduction
by TopherAven
Summary: A night out in Afterlife leaves the Normandy crew panicked. Who took Shepard?


_It's been a while..hope you enjoy._

_Reviews are appreciated, though not necessary. Just love feedback to improve!_

**Summary: A night out in Afterlife leaves the Normandy crew panicked. Where did Commander Shepard go?**

**Backstory: Joker and Shepard are together. They established a relationship in ME2. This takes place after the war.**

_Info: I alternated between Jeff and Joker. Sorry if it's confusing!_

* * *

It was easy to spot Shepard in the sea of people with her crew. Joker smiled to himself as he eyed her in the club, Afterlife. Jeff resisted the urge to adjust his pants as he eyed his Captain's outfit for the night. He vividly remembers their time before arriving at the club. Her, in all of her naked glory, riding on top of him. Eyes closed. Biting her lip to keep from moaning too loudly. Her red hair splayed messily out of her usual mop on the top of her head. Although, they were in her cabin, Jeff knew Shepard hated any type of vulnerability. She didn't like to make noise, and throughout their relationship, Jeff surprised her, and himself, in the ways he touched her in just the right spot to get the loud moans to spill from her mouth. The ones that he jokes to her about after their love-making. Sometimes, she smacks his shoulder, other times, she bites her lip and blushes. His favorite is when she winks and smacks her own ass as she all bu dances into the bathroom.

This time, he was the one moaning. She kept riding him long after he came as he eyes the bruising he caused on her hips as she turns to move past a stumbling C-Sec officer, celebrating his own night off apparently. Jeff catches Shepard's eye and they smile goofily at each other before laughing softly.

In uniform, Joker could feel the command in the air as she briskly walked along the ship. His favorite? When she would come to the cock-pit, a wide grin on her face, face flushed, already brimming with excitement about who knows what fight that went on when she was groundside. When she would talk quickly, almost shouting because she's still on the adrenaline high, her green eyes would be slightly brighter. Almost glowing. She would reveal how much of a badass she was in the fight, smile again, then lean down to press a hand on his chest, over his heart. Most of the time, her hand would still be shaking and Joker would press a quick kiss on her knuckles, while rolling his eyes at the state of her hair; which was almost always in a fiery red knotted bun on the top of her head.

Today, Shepard shimmyed her ass into the TIGHTEST skirt he's ever seen, along with a top with a ridiculously plunging neckline that had Joker almost wanting to rip it from her arms and toss it into space. While simultaneously draping her in every piece of clothing he had on on his own body. It plunged passed her belly button, held by two straps tied together.

They've been together for a while now, but that didn't mean Joker's self consciousness didn't bleed into their relationship. Behind closed doors, while Shepard isn't around, he can hear the whispers of the crew. Questioning if he's worthy for the Hero of the Galaxy. Sure, the entire Normandy crew that was there through it all are all titled 'Heroes', but Shepard was the one who inevitably saved the entire galaxy. And fuck yeah, he was the fucking Pilot of HER ship. There was some badassery that came with that title, but Shepard was, Shepard. With all the heroism in her, she's also stunningly beautiful. So much so that it hurts Jeff to even look at her sometimes. Nights where she's staring, blank, inspecting, all of her scars, marks, and bruises. Jeff wraps his arms around her and kisses every mark. Her hair was his favorite. Her hair is like fire and blood at the same time. She's deadly. Dangerous. And Jeff sometimes wonders, even after two years, what does she sees in him, truly?

Deep down, Joker knew that he may not be the best for Shepard. The 'twice' dead Captain who has saved the galaxy, headbutted Krogans, drank five pints of Ryncol and bragged about it, woke up from a five month coma and asked for a real cheeseburger, she needed someone more on her level of playing field. And if he was being completely and totally honest, he still blames her SR1 death on himself.

Joker is distracted from his thoughts as the distraction itself appears in front of him, a coy smile on her face. Joker rolls his eyes and that has Shepard raising an eyebrow. He gives her a deadpan look and gestures with his eyes to the amount of attention that is focused on her in the tightly packed club. Men, women, asari, turian, krogan, it was unsettling to Joker. And fuck if his testosterone wasn't screaming at him to claim the woman in front of him as his.

Shepard, seeing his eyes, gives him a roll of her own. Without warning, she grasps the collar of his jacket, gently tugging him forward until her lips collide with his own. He can't help himself from putting one hand on her hip, and the other to her cheek, bringing their kiss from needy showiness, to simple love and passion.

They pull away but she keeps an inch away from him. From his lips. Her green eyes tinted slightly red, Joker knows she's already had a few drinks from that look. But that doesn't stop himself from saying:

"I wanted to shoot that thing you call a top into the airlock. Whoosh. Bye bye. Now you people can't eyeball my girls boobs anymore."

Shepard snorts a small laugh before glancing down and shifting her top. All it did was make Joker's pants tighter. "Nobody can see my tits, Jeff. Calm down."

Joker uses this opportunity to glance at her hair. He's surprised at himself that he didn't notice it wasn't piled on her head. It was in loose red curls down her shoulders. He smiles gently to her before running his hand through her hair. The curls stay in-tact and he twirls some around his finger.

"I like the hair, babe. You don't look like a drunk ballerina."

Her laughter that follows after his comment makes Joker close his eyes for a brief second in happiness. Happy that he can still make her laugh like this. It reminds him that he gets to call this woman, his. Jeff mentioned in the beginning that he thinks the world girlfriend is too childish to call Shepard. She shrugged and said, "I'm yours and your mine." And that was that.

"Thanks, _Babe._ Kasumi helped." She exaggerates the nickname in a deep voice and Joker laughs too, because he knows how much she hates the pet names and he's reminded that they have the same stupid sense of humor.

Shepard takes a small step back from him and instead opts to reaching down to interlace her fingers with his, leading him back to her place at the table the crew have taken over in the corner of the club. He squeezes her hand once, she squeezes back tight and glances back at him with a wink. Several people turn their heads and before his nerves rise up about large groups of people that could hit him, he spotted the stick in ass, Garrus. Tali, his bondmate, is sitting next to him, talking animatedly to Cortez, who looks like he may just be ready to call it a night, as he is snoring on the bar table. Tali apparently doesn't notice, or is too drunk to care. Joker is assuming it's the latter as a faint hiccup sounds from her mask. Joker gives a slight cool guy head nod to Kaidan, who responds back with a nod of his own before delving into his omni-tool. James is trying to pass the snoring Cortez a shot while shooting Joker a drunken grin. The rest of the crew are spread out among the sea of dancing bodies.

Garrus glances over at Tali, laughing softly, before pulling her closer into him, resting his head on top of her helmeted one, she snuggles into his side, seemingly closing her eyes. Joker can still never tell with her. They were bonded last week and are due to ship out tomorrow to celebrate. Shepard didn't want them to leave without a party.

Everyone agreed to the club except, Joker and Steve. They were booed out of the observatory lounge.

"Look! I found a straggler!" Shepard gestures her arms out like she won Joker in a toy claw machine game from old movies he's seen.

Rolling his eyes, Jeff shrugs off his SR2 jacket, and tosses it at Shepard. "Look! I found the rest of your top!"

Garrus lets out a chuckles as Shepard groans in annoyance before sliding into the large booth next to him. As Joker sits on the end on her other side, he presses a soft kiss to the side of her head in his way of an silent apology. Joker knows he's forgiven for his comment when she slides a hand on his chest, over his heart, and pats it once, before grabbing a beer that comes sliding to her. She thanks Garrus before bringing the bottle to her lips and chugging.

Goddamn, she's perfect.

Joker is grateful for the first time in a long time to be in a crowded place. On ship, the crew know of the Captain and Pilot's relationship. Unless the want a shotgun under their chin, people keep their mouths shut. But that still doesn't mean Shepard wants any open displays of affection other than their traditional hand on heart quip. In here, she's grasping his thigh, rubbing her hand up and down. She ever so often squeezes and he has to keep from groaning out loud.

"I told you Joker was going to say shit." Shepard replies to Garrus' chuckle, which brings Joker out of his daydream and fantasies. He places his hand over hers on his thigh and lets out a snort of a laugh.

"Shep, that top is tinier than my floss. Of course I'm going to say shit. Wear a normal shirt!" Aside from Kaidan and Cortez, everyone at the table laughs, bringing Joker to the realization that Tali is in fact, still awake. Turning his head towards Shepard, he smiles at her red laughing face before leaning close to whisper, 'love you.'

He's harder than a rock as she squeezes his thigh again. A part of him wants to drag her hand over the bulge in his pants and have her work him under the table. But the sight of Kaidan looking at Shepard has him feeling cold, even as the conversation at the table heats up with Shepard downing two shots and Garrus cheering her on to drink more.

He hates clubs. Shepard doesn't get to go out anymore. Nobody does. Not since Chakwas passed in her sleep while Shepard was in the room, heavily sedated after taking a shotgun blast to her stomach, piercing her armor. After the brual recovery process, the physical therapy, the rages she would have, the death of Karin hit her harder than anyone. Joker guessed it was because Karin was a mother figure to Shepard. But he found out accidentally as he accidentally read an email Shepard had open on her terminal. He had thought it was just a friendly exchange between the Doctor and Captain. He knew they would 'secretly' drink together and was hoping to get some juicy drunk emails possilbly mentioning him.

Jeff knew that Kaidan and Shepard had a thing, but he didn't know Shepard got pregnant from it. That she only lost the baby because she _died_. That she was planning on telling the crew the news the day the first Normandy went down. That even though she was going to be a mother, she was going to raise her kid on the Normandy.

That knowledge had them fighting for a week. Jeff, angry that she 'lied', and Shepard angry for HIM being angry. It was news that left him feeling sick for days. Anxious, angry, sad. He felt a combination of emotions towards his partner that made him shut down from her. Shy away. Stay locked in the cock-pit and only be on shift when SHE isn't.

He learned his lesson at the end of the week when he got off shift and went into her cabin to find her in the fetal position, on her bed, crying softly to herself. The pain he felt in his stomach and heart was enough for him to drop to the bed and wrap his arms around her. One hand coming to rest over her heart. Quietly apologizing for being a dumbass.

He wasn't even sure why he was so angry until Shepard told him that her resurrection made it impossible for her to conceive children. And Joker was blind to the fact that Shepard WANTED to be a mother.

And, what is most worrisome, did Shepard pick him to be with because he can't have kids because of Vrolik's?

All of a sudden, Joker is shoved hard into their table, and he would've fallen had Shepard been anyone but Shepard. But she's there, grabbing onto him protectively and somehow, manuevering her way out of the booth to no doubt confront whoever pushed him. Her skirt had slid down, exposing the faint bruising on her hips and he could FEEL Kaidan's piercing gaze on them. Without giving much thought, Joker discreetly tries to tug it down as she gets him back to sitting in the booth.

As Joker tries to readjust himself, he can tell she's pissed without even looking at her. He can FEEL it. The rage inside her, about to burst, Joker has known her for so long that he can sense the explosion before it happens. They're all lucky the table didn't get flipped.

"What the fuck's your problem?! If you can't handle your alcohol, go the fuck home!" Before he can comprehend what's happening, Shepard is tinged in a faint blue glow before all but shoving a Batarian across the bar floor. Joker tries to grab her hand, to stop her, to calm her, but his attempts have her even more angrier than before. She stalks after the batarian, who is currently on the floor, several bystanders are watching the scene unfold and Joker turns to glance at Garrus, who nods once in understanding.

Thank God for Aliens.

Shepard's biotics seemed to grow brighter the more that they sit there. She's a formidable biotic after the war. Injury only strengthening her on the outside, and Joker realized that this situation is about go from bad, to worse.

Until Kaidan fucking Alenko seems to appear out of thin air in front of the Captain. A look of calm plastered on his face. With only just a glance to Joker, Kaidan flared once with his own biotics. A haze of blue cast over his body.

Joker hated Kaidan and Shepard's biotics at times. It was as if they didn't need to communicate with words. Just some, weird, mind feely shit. Another thing Jeff could add to the list of, 'Shit Joker can't do.'

It makes Jeff glare when he sees Shepard's own biotics responding unknowingly to Kaidan's.

Shepard, teeth bared like an angry Varren, ready to sink her teeth into her victim, turns to look at the new threat her biotics warned her. Slowly, ever so slowly, the glow begins to fade.

"Hey Shep. Let's go take a walk, alright? I think you could use some air." Kaidan spoke softly, hand reaching out to grab ahold of her upper arm. Two Asari help the fallen batarian up, eyeballing the exchange between Captain and Commander. As the Batarian gets to a standing position, he sneers at Shepard before spitting at her feet.

"Alliance scum. Batarians can't wait until we have your head."

The comment has Shepard back on the attack, and she all but lunges for the alien, but Kaidan is faster, knows what she's going to do before she does it, and wraps her in a bear hug, speaking too low for Joker to hear. Before he knows it, Shepard is gone. Alenko by her side near the exit to the club, an arm wrapped tight around her shoulders. His lips at her ear where Jeff's own lips were there only minutes ago.

Joker can't stop the anger and jealousy gnawing at his heart and head. He shakes his head once before grabbing his jacket and saying, "I'm outta here."

Garrus glances at him and looks to be about ready to walk back to the ship with him, but Tali is grabbing his arm and he becomes disracted by his mate. The affection and concern they show one another makes Jeff sick. All it does is make him wish Shepard was here to grab and hold. Instead, he has the image of Kaidan holding Shepard burned into the front of his mind. It's all he can see, and he's pissed.

"Fuck this." He whispers under his breath as he slides his coat on. He all but marches back to the ship, an imaginary rain cloud over his head. He mumbles swear words under his breath, bumping into strangers unknowingly. He's sure someone may have tried to pick-pocket him, but he has tunnel vision for the ship. His baby.

Once back in his safe place, with a hurting hip and sore back, Joker plops himself in his Pilot's chair, pushing his hat down over his eyes.

Jeff can understand the reason behind why Kaidan and Shepard have a connection. Although he isn't a woman himself, Joker has wondered how it would be to work with someone that you were going to have a kid with. The true reason they were brought together is because HE killed HER. And he's also the reason why she can't have any children. Does she even love him? Who would love someone that took away one of the things they want more than anything from life? Shepard has been called Death before, but maybe, that's what was the only thing that would make her ALIVE.

Joker knows this is self-hate. But it doesn't stop the what-if's from coming.

Before he knows it, he's fallen asleep. Dreams of a fiery redhead dancing through his mind.

And it seems like five minutes when a loud thud hits the doors to the cock-pit. Hard. Repeatedly and frantically. He hears a dual-toned voice ringing out in pure panic.

"Garrus? What the hell?"

Groaning to himself, Joker gets to his feet to greet the Turian. The doors open and immediately, his heart sinks to his stomach. Bile rises to his throat. Sweat breaks out on his forehead. Because the sight before him is Garrus, holding a battered Kaidan Alenko. Blood dripping onto the floor from underneath his shirt and nose. Blood...everywhere. Jeff wants to say something. Anything. But his vision is tunneling. His chest is tightening. Garrus looks like he's about to vomit himself. And he doesn't even need to ask, because Garrus says it. And he feels like his world is ending. Again.

"Somebody took Shepard. She's gone."


End file.
